| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative begins with the wayyiqtol form vayomer {וַיֹּ֣אמֶּר | way-yō-ʾmer} ‘and he said’, introducing Abram’s speech. The compound title Adonai Yahweh {אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה | ʾă-ḏō-nāy yĕ-hō-wih} in the vocative highlights covenantal authority. The question mah titten li {מַה־תִּתֶּן־לִ֔י | mah tit-ten lī} frames Abram’s petition for divine provision. The emphatic clause ve’anokhi holekh ariri {וְאָנֹכִ֖י הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עֲרִירִ֑י | wə-ʾā-nō-khî hō-lēḵ ʿă-rî-rî} uses an independent pronoun plus participle to convey his ongoing childlessness. The construct chain u-ven me-šeq bê-tî {וּבֶן־מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי | û-ven me-šeq bê-tî} expresses ‘heir of my household,’ and the copula hu {ה֖וּא | hû} links this to dam-me-śeq Eliezer {דַּמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶר | dam-me-śeq ʾĕ-lî-ʿe-zer}, identifying Eliezer. The formal reconstruction closely follows this sequence, while the dynamic rendering clarifies beiti as ‘household’ to emphasize the extended family context. |